This volume assesses the impact of the decade-old move in public education reform away from funding equalization and toward adequacy and accountability. In six chapters, the author provides a detailed introduction, the theoretical and empirical background, and an analysis of the prospects of future state funding of public education. He includes a Connecticut-based case study that examines state legislative motivations and suggests methods for predicting future state behaviors. Following the case study, the author offers an analysis of policy options that balance equity, performance, and tax burdens. The conclusion pays particular attention to the consequences of current reform policies and statesâ willingness to fund them, or not.

This report shows that in FY 2011, the federal government provided $607 billion in grants to state and local governments. Those funds accounted for 17% of federal outlays, 4% of gross domestic product (GDP), and a quarter of spending by state and local governments that year. Over the past 30 years, those “intergovernmental” grants -- financial transfers from the federal government that support a wide range of state and local programs -- have fluctuated as a share of federal outlays. Federal grants for health programs, primarily Medicaid, have grown rapidly, and grants for programs and initiatives not related to health -- such as those associated with income security, education, and transportation -- have also increased, albeit at a slower rate. In total, the federal government reported outlays in 2011 for more than 200 intergovernmental grant programs, which were administered by 30 federal departments and independent agencies. Figures. This is a print on demand report.